Inflatable dinghies



1965 B. R. A. REFFELL 3,212,111

INFLATABLE DINGHIES Filed May 28, 1963 M/I/E/VTOE Brian Richard ArnoldReHcll AffOkA/f) United States Patent 3,212,111 INFLATABLE DINGHIESBrian Richard Arnold Reffell, Southall, Middiesex, England, assignor toThe Walter Kidde Company Limited, Northolt, Greenford, England, 'aBritish company Filed May 28, 1963, Ser. No. 283,912 Claims priority,application Great Britain, June 1, 1962, 21,292/ 62 2 Claims. (Cl. 9-11)The present invention relates to inflatable dinghies and in particularto inflatable dinghies of the type which are secured to the person of anairman in a deflated condition as a personal pack.

There is already known an inflatable dinghy of this type which isprovided with means for causing it to unfold automatically on immersionin water so as to open the dinghy out automatically beneath the user andleaving him seated in the dinghy after its buoyancy tube has likewisebeen inflated automatically.

The unrolling or unfolding of the dinghy is effected by means of a highpressure tube or hose of small section which is secured to the buoyancytube and to which gas is admitted under high pressure automatically whenthe dinghy is immersed in water.

In Patent No. 3,080,582 there is described a system for the inflation ofa dinghy operating on this principle.

The dinghy itself is provided with a normal peripheral buoyancy tube ofrelatively large section to which is secured a high pressure tube ofrelatively small section. The unrolling of the dinghy is effected byinflation of the high pressure tube to a high pressure, say, 100 p.s.i.This causes the high pressure tube to straighten out as far as possibleso as to assume a condition of maximum internal volume. The buoyancytube in the construction described in Patent No. 3,080,582 is inflatedby release of gas from storage containers at a predetermined timeinterval after the initiation of the inflation of the high pressuretube, and, as is usual, only is inflated to a very low positivepressure.

In the system described in the aforementioned patent the buoyancy tubeis inflated by admission of gas at points on opposite sides of thedinghy. The purpose of admitting gas at these spaced points was toovercome any tendency of the dinghy to overturn by reason of the twosides of the buoyancy tube becoming unequally inflated before completionof inflation.

Further experience has shown that this expedient is not whollysuccessful for prevention of such overturning and it has now beendiscovered that improved results may be obtained by restricting the rateof admission of gas to the bow end of the dinghy in relation to thestern end of the dinghy during inflation. It is found in practice thatthis permits the dinghy to become squared off beneath the wearer in thewater in a more satisfactory manner.

The present invention is applicable to all personal-pack dinghies whichare unrolled or unfolded automatically by the admission of gas underhigh pressure to a high pressure tube secured to a peripheral buoyancytube, irrespective of whether the buoyancy tube is inflated from thesame gas storage container as the high pressure tube or from a differentgas storage container from the high pressure tube, as in the systemdescribed in Patent No. 3,080,582. The present invention is furthermoreapplicable irrespective of Whether the high pressure tube is secured tothe outer surface or the inner surface of the buoyancy tube.

In accordance with the present invention, the difliculty heretoforeencountered is overcome by admitting gas to the buoyancy tube at one ormore points at or close to one end of the dinghy and restricting theflow of gas in the buoyancy tube at both sides so that the buoyancy tubebetween the position or positions of gas entry and the points ofrestriction become fully inflated before the buoyancy tube becomesinflated towards the other end. In this way the buoyancy tube is evenlyin flated at both sides of the dinghy and the risk of the dinghyoverturning during inflation of the buoyancy tube is thereby greatlyreduced. The restriction in the buoyancy tube is preferably provided bymeans of a pair of baflles positioned approximately amidships on eachside and each consisting of a truncated cone made of a flexible materialand secured with its apex directed away from the inflation point.

These cone restrictors may be used at a number of spaced positions alongeach side of the buoyancy tube, although a single restrictor atapproximately the midpoint of each side or branch of the buoyancy tubeis generally found to be sufficient to equalise the inflation of the twosides of the buoyancy tube.

In the accompanying drawing, the single figure is a plan view withportions broken away illustrating dinghy constructed in accordance withthe present invention.

The dinghy shown in the drawing is a conventional one-man dinghy carriedas a personal pack and is intended for the head and shoulders of theoccupant to be at the bow end and for his feet to be at the stern end.

The dinghy comprises a buoyancy tube 1 and a floor 2. A small-diameterhigh-pressure tube 3 is secured to the outer surfaces of the buoyancytube 1. The tube 3 is provided with a means for inflating it to a highpressure automatically when it is immersed in water, but is not shownherein since it forms no part of the present invention.

The buoyancy tube 1 is inflated from a gas storage container 4. Therelease of gas from the storage container 4 is initiated in a suitablemanner, such as that described in detail in Patent No. 3,080,582, and ispreferably initiated after the dinghy has been completely unfolded byinfiation of the high pressure tube 3. Gas from the storage container 4enters the buoyancy tube 1 at an admission point 5 and commences toinflate the buoy ancy tube 1 which is still flattened. When the occupantis to sit with his head at the bow end and his feet at the stern end,the admisison point 15 is at about the midpoint of the stern.

At approximately the middle of each side or branch of the buoyancy tube1, there is secured a restrictor 6 which consists of a truncated cone ofrubber or rubberized fabric. The aperture at the apex of each restrictor6 is preferably quite substantial, since the function of the restrictoris to check the flow of gas into the forward part of the buoyancy tube 1so as to ensure that both sides of the buoyancy tube to the rear of therestrictors 6 is fully inflated before extensive inflation of theforward part of the buoyancy tube can take place at either side. Toachieve this result, it is necessary that there be only a very slightpressure drop across the restrictors 6.

The restrictors 6 may be secured in the buoyancy tube by stitching or bymeans of adhesives or any other suitable means. The conical restrictorsare readily collapsed to a substantially flat condition when the dinghyis folded up and stowed within a pack cover in the manner conventionalfor personal pack dinghies.

I claim:

1. An inflatable dinghy adapted to be carried on the person of an airmancomprising a peripheral buoyancy tube having bow and stern ends andsides in gas flow communication, a high pressure tube secured to saidbuoyancy tube for the purpose of unfolding the dinghy automatically onthe admission of gas under high pres sure to said high pressure tube,means for admitting gas to said buoyancy tube at the mid-point of onesaid end of the dinghy to introduce gas into both said sides of saidbuoyancy tube, and flow restricting means positioned in said buoyancytube at corresponding positions at each side of the dinghy about midwaybetween the ends thereof to ensure complete inflation of said buoyancytube between said gas admission point and said restricting means beforesubstantial inflation of said buoyancy tube beyond said restrictingmeans takes place.

2. An inflatable dinghy according to claim 1 wherein each restrictingmeans is constituted by a truncated cone of flexible material having anopening at the apex thereof and being secured inside said buoyancy tube,the apex 11/58 Manhart 911.1 3/63 Reflell 92 FOREIGN PATENTS 504,89712/54 Italy. 887,940 1/ 62 Great Britain. 891,300 3/62 Great Britain.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Primary Examiner.

1. AN INFLATABLE DINGHY ADAPTED TO BE CARRIED ON THE PERSON OF AN AIRMANCOMPRISING A PERIPHERAL BUOYANCY TUBE HAVING BOW AND STERN ENDS ANDSIDES IN GAS FLOW COMMUNICATION, A HIGH PRESSURE TUBE SECURED TO SAIDBUOYANCY TUBE FOR THE PURPOSE FO UNFOLDING THE DINGHY AUTOMATICALLY ONTHE ADMISSION OF GAS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE TO SAID HIGH PRESSURE TUBE,MEANS FOR ADMITTING GAS TO SAID BUOYANCY TUBE AT THE MID-POINT OF ONESAID END OF THE DINGHY TO INTRODUCE GAS INTO BOTH SAID SIDES OF SAIDBUOYANCY TUBE, AND FLOW RESTRICTING MEANS POSITIONED IN SAID BUOYANCYTUBE AT CORRESPONDING POSITIONS AT EACH SIDE OF THE DINGHY ABOUT MIDWAYBETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF TO ENSURE COMPLETE INFLATION OF SAID BUOYANCYTUBE BETWEEN SAID GAS ADMISSION POINT AND SAID RESTRICTING MEANS BEFORESUBSTANTIAL INFLATION OF SAID BUOYANCY TUBE BEYOND SAID RESTRICTINGMEANS TAKES PLACE.